Infectious disease screening device

ABSTRACT

A disease screening device (100) comprising a substrate (101) and a sonication chamber (102) formed on the substrate (101). The sonication chamber (102) is provided with an ultrasonic transducer (105) which generates ultrasonic waves to lyse cells in a sample fluid within the sonication chamber (102). The device (100) comprises a reagent chamber (111) formed on the substrate (101) for receiving a liquid PCR reagent. The device (100) comprises a controller (23) which controls the ultrasonic transducer (105) and a heating arrangement (128) which is provided on the substrate (101). The device (100) further comprises a detection apparatus which detects the presence of an infectious disease, such as COVID-19 disease.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 17/334,531, filed May 28, 2021, which is pending; which claimsthe benefit of and priority to European patent application no.20177685.3, filed on 1 Jun. 2020; U.S. provisional patent applicationNo. 63/064,386, filed on 11 Aug. 2020; European patent application no.20200852.0, filed on 8 Oct. 2020; European patent application no.20214228.7, filed on 15 Dec. 2020; and International patent applicationno. PCT/GB2021/050822, filed on 1 Apr. 2021, all of which areincorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

FIELD

The present invention relates to an infectious disease screening devicefor screening for an infectious disease including, but not limited to,COVID-19 disease. The present invention more particularly relates to adevice for screening for viral infections using a Polymerase ChainReaction (PCR) process including, but not limited to, the screening forSARS-CoV-2 viral infections.

BACKGROUND

Technological advancements in the medical field have improved theefficiency of diagnostic methods and devices. Testing times have reduceddrastically, while ensuring reliable results. There are various testingmethods to test for infections of all types. To test for viralinfections, PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) is proven to be the mostreliable method. As with other methods, PCR has evolved to be moretime-efficient and cost-effective, while maintaining high standards ofreliability.

PCR is a technique that uses the two matching strands in DNA to amplifya targeted DNA sequence from just a few samples to billions of copies,which are then analyzed using Gel Electrophoresis, which separates DNAsamples according to their size.

Conventional Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR):

A complete conventional PCR test comprises 3 or 4 steps as describedbelow:

1. Cell Lysis and nucleic acid (DNA/RNA) extraction:

Once a patient sample is collected, either from the nose (nasopharyngealswab) or the throat (oropharyngeal swab), the sample is mixed with theelution buffer. The eluted solution is then filtered to remove any largeparticles (hair, skin fragments, etc.). The filtered solution is pouredinto a lysing chamber.

Cell lysis is then performed to break or rupture the lipid bilayer ofthe cells in the sample to provide a gateway through which cell'scomponents, including DNA/RNA, are extracted.

Cell lysis is performed either chemically or electromechanically, or acombination of both. The process extracts the components and thesolution is filtered to separate the nucleic acids (DNA/RNA) from othercell components. The DNA/RNA is then ready for the next step.

2. Reverse Transcription (RT):

This step is only required if the nucleic acid is RNA and not DNA.

The process involves introducing an enzyme, known as reversetranscriptase, to the PCR solution containing the RNA to create acomplementary DNA (cDNA) sequence from the RNA at a temperature between40-50° C. The reverse transcription step would precede any PCR relatedaction since PCR requires DNA or cDNA.

3. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

The principle of PCR is same regardless of the type of DNA sample. PCRrequires five core ingredients to be processed: the DNA sample, primers,DNA nucleotide bases, a polymerase enzyme, and a buffer solution toensure appropriate conditions for the reaction.

The PCR involves a process of heating and cooling known as thermalcycling. The thermal cycling has three steps: Denaturation, Annealing,and Extension.

Denaturation starts with heating the reaction solution to 95° C.-100° C.The high temperature is required for separation of the double-strandedDNA or cDNA into single strands.

Annealing is the binding of primers to the denatured strands of sampleDNA or cDNA. This process requires a temperature of 55° C.-62° C. Oncethe temperature is reached, it initiates the annealing stage in whichthe primers attach to the single strands.

Once the primers are attached, the temperature is raised to around 72°C. for the polymerase to attach and extend the primers along the lengthof the single strand to make a new double-stranded DNA.

To achieve optimal results, the thermal cycle is repeated ˜20-40 times,depending on the number of base pairs required for the test, andensuring that the desired temperature is achieved at each stage.

4. Gel Electrophoresis

After PCR has been completed, a method known as electrophoresis can beused to check the quantity and size of the DNA fragments produced. DNAis negatively charged and, to separate it by size, the PCR-processedsample is placed in an agarose gel with a current running through thegel that pulls the negatively charged DNA to the opposite end. Largerpieces of DNA encounter more resistance in the solution and therefore donot move as far as smaller segments over the same period of time.

The distance the DNA fragments travel, when compared to a known sample,gives the result of the test. During solution preparation, before thegel electrophoresis step, a fluorescent dye is added in order to see thebands of DNA and based on their location the length of the DNA is known.

Rapid PCR:

Rapid PCR is performed using shorter thermal cycle times (20-60 secondsper cycle) than conventional PCR to reduce overall test times. Rapid PCRalso uses real-time PCR, an automated rapid thermocycling process thatincorporates amplification and detection in a single process inside aclosed reaction vessel. This process significantly reduces the risk ofcontamination. Rapid PCR uses Fluorescence spectroscopy for detectionsimultaneously with the PCR's thermal cycles.

Rapid RT-PCR incorporates another process in the overall test whentesting for viruses (RNA). The additional process is the ReverseTranscription used to create cDNA from the RNA prior to the PCR processas described above.

Fluorescence Spectroscopy:

Fluorescence spectroscopy is used as an alternative to GelElectrophoresis to reduce overall duration of the test. Fluorescencespectroscopy uses light to excite the electrons in molecules of certaincompounds and causes them to emit light. That light is detected by adetector for fluorescence measurement which can be used foridentification of molecule(s) or changes in the molecule.

A global virus outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19 disease),classed as a pandemic has sky-rocketed the demand for virus test kits.The demand also requires tests to be performed more quickly thanconventional tests that typically take 4-8 hours to complete, or evenrapid tests that take more than 2 hours to give results.

Conventional virus testing methods are usually performed for largequantities of samples and processed simultaneously. However, the longduration for each step, majorly PCR, increases wait-time for results.The rapid-PCR technique provides some lead time over the conventionalPCR by reducing the thermal cycle time, shortening the overall test timeto around 1-2 hours. However, even this test time is too long for usefulmass rapid screening for infectious diseases, such as COVID-19.

There is a need for improved systems and devices for infectious diseasescreening which alleviate at least some of the problems outlined herein.

SUMMARY

s A COVID-19 disease screening device of some arrangements comprises: asubstrate which is at least partly composed of silicon; a sonicationchamber formed on the substrate, the sonication chamber having a sampleinlet, a sample outlet and an ultrasonic transducer, wherein theultrasonic transducer generates ultrasonic waves in a frequency range ofapproximately 2800 kHz to approximately 3200 kHz to lyse cells in asample fluid within the sonication chamber; a controller comprising: anAC driver which generates an AC drive signal at a predeterminedfrequency within the frequency range of approximately 2800 kHz toapproximately 3200 kHz and outputs the AC drive signal to drive theultrasonic transducer; an active power monitor which monitors activepower used by the ultrasonic transducer when the ultrasonic transduceris driven by the AC drive signal, wherein the active power monitorprovides a monitoring signal which is indicative of the active powerused by the ultrasonic transducer; a processor which controls the ACdriver and receives the monitoring signal from the active power monitor;and a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processor,cause the processor to:

-   -   A. control the AC driver to output the AC drive signal to the        ultrasonic transducer at a predetermined sweep frequency;    -   B. calculate the active power being used by the ultrasonic        transducer based on the monitoring signal;    -   C. control the AC driver to modulate the AC drive signal to        maximize the active power being used by the ultrasonic        transducer;    -   D. store a record in the memory of the maximum active power used        by the ultrasonic transducer and the sweep frequency of the AC        drive signal;    -   E. repeat steps A-D for a predetermined number of iterations        with the sweep frequency incrementing with each iteration such        that, after the predetermined number of iterations has occurred,        the sweep frequency has been incremented from a start sweep        frequency to an end sweep frequency;    -   F. identify from the records stored in the memory an optimum        frequency for the AC drive signal which is the sweep frequency        of the AC drive signal at which the maximum active power is used        by the ultrasonic transducer; and    -   G. control the AC driver to output the AC drive signal to the        ultrasonic transducer at the optimum frequency, wherein the        device further comprises:    -   a reagent chamber formed on the substrate, the reagent chamber        having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet being coupled with the        sample outlet of the sonication chamber to permit at least part        of a sample fluid to flow from the sonication chamber to the        reagent chamber so that the sample fluid mixes with a liquid PCR        reagent in the reagent chamber, wherein the device further        comprises: a PCR heating apparatus comprising: a channel formed        on the substrate, the channel defining a fluid flow path between        a channel inlet and a channel outlet; and a first heating        element which is carried by the substrate, wherein the first        heating element is controlled by the controller to heat a sample        fluid flowing along the channel, and wherein the channel inlet        is coupled with the outlet of the reagent chamber to receive at        least part of a sample fluid from the reagent chamber, wherein        the device further comprises: a SARS-CoV-2 virus detection        apparatus which is coupled to the channel outlet, wherein the        detection apparatus detects a presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus        that causes COVID-19 disease in a sample fluid flowing out of        the channel outlet, wherein the detection apparatus provides an        output which is indicative of whether or not the SARS-CoV-2        virus detection apparatus detects the presence of the COVID-19        disease in the sample fluid.

In some arrangements, the active power monitor comprises: a currentsensor which senses a drive current of the AC drive signal driving theultrasonic transducer, wherein the active power monitor provides amonitoring signal which is indicative of the sensed drive current.

In some arrangements, the memory stores instructions which, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the processor to: repeat steps A-D withthe sweep frequency being incremented from a start sweep frequency of2800 kHz to an end sweep frequency of 3200 kHz.

In some arrangements, the memory stores instructions which, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the processor to:

in step G, control the AC driver to output the AC drive signal to theultrasonic transducer at frequency which is shifted by between 1-10% ofthe optimum frequency.

In some arrangements, the AC driver modulates the AC drive signal bypulse width modulation to maximize the active power being used by theultrasonic transducer.

In some arrangements, the memory stores instructions which, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the processor to: control the AC driverto alternately output the AC drive signal to the ultrasonic transducerat the optimum frequency for a first predetermined length of time and tonot output the AC drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer for a secondpredetermined length of time.

In some arrangements, the memory stores instructions which, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the processor to: alternately outputthe AC drive signal and to not output the AC drive signal according toan operating mode selected from:

First Second predetermined predetermined Operating length of time lengthof time mode (seconds) (seconds) 1 4 2 2 3 2 3 2 2 4 1 2 5 1 1 6 2 1 7 31 8 4 1 9 4 3 10 3 3 11 2 3 12 1 3

In some arrangements, the device further comprises: a filter which isprovided between the sonication chamber and the reagent chamber tofilter sample fluid flowing from the sonication chamber to the reagentchamber.

In some arrangements, the filter has pores of 0.1 μm to 0.5 μm indiameter.

In some arrangements, the device further comprises: at least one furtherchamber which is formed on the substrate, the at least one furtherchamber being coupled for fluid communication with the sonicationchamber.

In some arrangements, the device further comprises: a plurality ofvalves which are controlled by the controller to selectively open andclose to permit or restrict the flow of liquids between each furtherchamber and the sonication chamber.

In some arrangements, a further chamber stores a lysing agent having aformula selected from one of: a first lysis formula consisting of 10 mMTris, 0.25% Igepal CA-630 and 150 mM NaCl; a second lysis formulaconsisting of 10 mM Tris-HCl, 10 mM NaCl, 10 mM EDTA and 0.5%Triton-X100; or a third lysis formula consisting of 0.1M LiCl, 0.1MTris-HCl, 1% SDS or 10 mm EDTA.

In some arrangements, the sonication chamber has a volume of 100 μl to1000 μl.

In some arrangements, the sonication chamber contains a plurality ofbeads, each bead having a diameter of approximately 100 μm.

In some arrangements, the channel comprises a first channel portionhaving a first cross-sectional area and a second channel portion havinga second cross-sectional area, wherein the second cross-sectional areais greater than the first cross-sectional area.

In some arrangements, the first channel portion has a depth ofapproximately 60 μm and a width of approximately 200 μm, and the secondchannel portion has a depth of approximately 60 μm and a width ofapproximately 400 μm.

In some arrangements, the channel comprises a third channel portionhaving a third cross-sectional area which the same as the firstcross-sectional area.

In some arrangements, the first heating element heats a first portion ofthe channel and the device further comprises: a second heating elementwhich is carried by the substrate, the second heating element beingcontrolled by the controller to heat a sample fluid flowing along asecond portion of the channel.

In some arrangements, the device further comprises: a third heatingelement which is carried by the substrate, the third heating elementbeing controlled by the controller to heat a sample fluid flowing alonga third portion of the channel.

In some arrangements, the channel comprises a plurality of first channelportions and a plurality of second channel portions.

An infectious disease screening device of some arrangements comprises: asubstrate which is at least partly composed of silicon; a sonicationchamber formed on the substrate, the sonication chamber having a sampleinlet, a sample outlet and an ultrasonic transducer, wherein theultrasonic transducer generates ultrasonic waves in a frequency range ofapproximately 2800 kHz to approximately 3200 kHz to lyse cells in asample fluid within the sonication chamber; a controller comprising: anAC driver which generates an AC drive signal at a predeterminedfrequency within the frequency range of approximately 2800 kHz toapproximately 3200 kHz and outputs the AC drive signal to drive theultrasonic transducer; an active power monitor which monitors activepower used by the ultrasonic transducer when the ultrasonic transduceris driven by the AC drive signal, wherein the active power monitorprovides a monitoring signal which is indicative of the active powerused by the ultrasonic transducer; a processor which controls the ACdriver and receives the monitoring signal from the active power monitor;and a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processor,cause the processor to:

-   -   A. control the AC driver to output the AC drive signal to the        ultrasonic transducer at a predetermined sweep frequency;    -   B. calculate the active power being used by the ultrasonic        transducer based on the monitoring signal;    -   C. control the AC driver to modulate the AC drive signal to        maximize the active power being used by the ultrasonic        transducer;    -   D. store a record in the memory of the maximum active power used        by the ultrasonic transducer and the sweep frequency of the AC        drive signal;    -   E. repeat steps A-D for a predetermined number of iterations        with the sweep frequency incrementing with each iteration such        that, after the predetermined number of iterations has occurred,        the sweep frequency has been incremented from a start sweep        frequency to an end sweep frequency;    -   F. identify from the records stored in the memory an optimum        frequency for the AC drive signal which is the sweep frequency        of the AC drive signal at which the maximum active power is used        by the ultrasonic transducer; and    -   G. control the AC driver to output the AC drive signal to the        ultrasonic transducer at the optimum frequency, wherein the        device further comprises:    -   a reagent chamber formed on the substrate, the reagent chamber        having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet being coupled with the        sample outlet of the sonication chamber to permit at least part        of a sample fluid to flow from the sonication chamber to the        reagent chamber so that the sample fluid mixes with a liquid PCR        reagent in the reagent chamber, wherein the device further        comprises: a PCR heating apparatus comprising: a channel formed        on the substrate, the channel defining a fluid flow path between        a channel inlet and a channel outlet; and a first heating        element which is carried by the substrate, wherein the first        heating element is controlled by the controller to heat a sample        fluid flowing along the channel, and wherein the channel inlet        is coupled with the outlet of the reagent chamber to receive at        least part of a sample fluid from the reagent chamber, wherein        the device further comprises: an infectious disease detection        apparatus which is coupled to the channel outlet, wherein the        detection apparatus detects a presence of an infectious disease        in a sample fluid flowing out of the channel outlet, wherein the        detection apparatus provides an output which is indicative of        whether or not the detection apparatus detects the presence of        an infectious disease in the sample fluid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the present invention may be more readily understood,embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way ofexample, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective schematic view of a system of some arrangementswith an assay device of some arrangements,

FIG. 2 is a schematic drawing of an assay device of some arrangements,

FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing of part of a system of some arrangementswith an assay device of some arrangements,

FIG. 4 is a perspective schematic view of part of an assay device ofsome arrangements,

FIG. 5 is a side view of the part of the assay device shown in FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is an end view of the part of the assay device shown in FIG. 4,

FIG. 7 is a schematic drawing of part of an assay device of somearrangements,

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the part of the assay device shownin FIG. 7,

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the part of the assay device shownin FIG. 7,

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the components of a filtrationarrangement of some arrangements,

FIG. 11 is a schematic drawing of part of an assay device of somearrangements,

FIG. 12 is schematic diagram showing a piezoelectric transducer modelledas an RLC circuit,

FIG. 13 is graph of frequency versus log impedance of an RLC circuit,

FIG. 14 is graph of frequency versus log impedance showing inductive andcapacitive regions of operation of a piezoelectric transducer,

FIG. 15 is flow diagram showing the operation of a controller of somearrangements,

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of part of an assay device of somearrangements,

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of part of an assay device of somearrangements,

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of part of an assay device of somearrangements,

FIG. 19 is a side view of the part of the assay device shown in FIG. 18,

FIG. 20 is an end view of the part of the assay device shown in FIG. 18,

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of part of a system of somearrangements and part of an assay device of some arrangements,

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of part of a system of some arrangementsand part of an assay device of some arrangements,

FIG. 23 is a side view of part of an assay device of some arrangements,

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of part of a system of some arrangements,

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram of a chamber array of an assay device ofsome arrangements,

FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram of a chamber array of an assay device ofsome arrangements,

FIG. 27 is a schematic diagram of a chamber array of an assay device ofsome arrangements,

FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram of a chamber array of an assay device ofsome arrangements,

FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram of a chamber array of an assay device ofsome arrangements,

FIG. 30 is a schematic diagram of a chamber array of an assay device ofsome arrangements,

FIG. 31 is a schematic top view of a PCR heating arrangement of an assaydevice of some arrangements,

FIG. 32 is a schematic side view of the PCR heating arrangement shown inFIG. 31,

FIG. 33 is a schematic top view of heating elements of the PCR heatingarrangement shown in FIG. 31,

FIG. 34 is a schematic top view of a first heating element of the PCRheating arrangement shown in FIG. 31,

FIG. 35 is a schematic top view of a second heating element of the PCRheating arrangement shown in FIG. 31,

FIG. 36 is a schematic view of part of a channel of the PCR heatingarrangement shown in FIG. 31,

FIG. 37 is a schematic view of part of a channel of the PCR heatingarrangement shown in FIG. 31,

FIG. 38 is a schematic view of part of a channel of the PCR heatingarrangement shown in FIG. 31, and

FIG. 39 is a schematic view of part of a channel of the PCR heatingarrangement shown in FIG. 31.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

s Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from thefollowing detailed description when read with the accompanying figures.It is noted that, in accordance with the standard practice in theindustry, various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, thedimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased orreduced for clarity of discussion.

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, orexamples, for implementing different features of the provided subjectmatter. Specific examples of components, concentrations, applicationsand arrangements are described below to simplify the present disclosure.These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended to belimiting. For example, the attachment of a first feature and a secondfeature in the description that follows may include embodiments in whichthe first feature and the second feature are attached in direct contact,and may also include embodiments in which additional features may bepositioned between the first feature and the second feature, such thatthe first feature and the second feature may not be in direct contact.In addition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/orletters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose ofsimplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationshipbetween the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

The following disclosure describes representative arrangements orexamples. Each example may be considered to be an embodiment and anyreference to an “arrangement” or an “example” may be changed to“embodiment” in the present disclosure.

This disclosure establishes improved aspects of a rapid resultdiagnostic assay system designed for point of care (POC) and/or home usefor infectious disease screening, specifically SARS-CoV-2 known to causeCOVID-19 disease.

The assay devices and systems of some arrangements are for screening anyother infectious disease caused by pathogens, such as bacteria orviruses. In some arrangements, the assay devices and systems are forscreening for an infectious agent or disease selected from a groupincluding, but not limited to, influenza, coronavirus, measles, HIV,hepatitis, meningitis, tuberculosis, Epstein-Barr virus (glandularfever), yellow fever, malaria, norovirus, zika virus infection oranthrax.

In some arrangements, the assay devices and systems are for screening atarget sample in the form of a saliva sample, a sputum sample or a bloodsample. In other arrangements, the assay devices and systems are forscreening a target sample which is collected from a user by anasopharyngeal swab or an oropharyngeal swab.

The assay system of some arrangements comprises 13 main components: anassay device or pod containing various liquid chambers, a plungercolumn, a flow directing cog, a sonication chamber, a filtration array,a PCR fin, PCR reagents, a PCR method, a thermal cycler, an infectiousdisease detection apparatus, a lid, a method for reporting results, anda housing that contains all necessary parts to manipulate the pod.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings, a system 1 forinfectious disease screening is configured for use with a removableassay device 2 which, in this arrangement, is in the form of asingle-use pod. In some arrangements, the system 1 is providedseparately from the assay device 2. In other arrangements, the system 1is provided in combination with the assay device 2. In furtherarrangements, the assay device 2 is provided without the system 1 butfor use with the system 1.

The system 1 comprises a housing 3 which houses the various componentsof the system 1. In this arrangement, the housing 3 comprises an opening4 which is closed by a door 5. The door 5 is configured to move betweenan open position, as shown in FIG. 1 and a closed position in which thedoor 5 closes the opening 4 in the housing 3. In this arrangement, thedoor 5 is provided with a handle 6 to facilitate opening and closing bya user. In this embodiment, the door 5 is provided to enable a user toopen the system 1 to insert the assay device 2 into the system 1, asindicated generally by arrow 7 in FIG. 1. Other arrangements incorporatea different access means to permit a user to insert the assay device 2into the system 1.

In this arrangement, the system 1 is a portable system. The housing 3 iscompact to enable the system 1 to be carried easily and for the system 1to be positioned unobtrusively at a convenient location, such asadjacent an entrance door of a building. The portable configuration ofthe system 1 of some arrangements enables the system 1 to be carriedeasily to a location where there is a need for infectious diseasescreening. In some arrangements, the system 1 is configured to bepowered by a battery or another low power source of electricity so thatthe system 1 can be used at a remote location, without the need formains electricity. In other arrangements, the system 1 comprises a powersource input to be connected to mains electricity to power the system 1and/or to charge a battery within the system 1.

The system 1 comprises a support platform 8 which is provided at thebase of the housing 3. The support platform 8 comprises a surface forcarrying the assay device 2. The support platform 8 comprises aplurality of guide members 9 which are located around the supportplatform 8 to guide the assay device 2 into a predetermined positionwhen the assay device 2 is inserted into the system 1. In thisarrangement, the support platform 8 is provided with a central aperture10 which is positioned beneath the assay device 2 when the assay device2 is carried by the support platform 8.

Referring now to FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings, the assay device 2comprises a base 11 which, in this arrangement, comprises an enlargedlower end in order to provide stability to the assay device 2 when theassay device 2 is resting on the base 11. The assay device 2 furthercomprises an assay device housing 12 which houses the internalcomponents of the assay device 2, which are described in more detailbelow. The assay device housing 12 comprises an upper end 13 which isremote from the base 11 and which is configured to be opened to provideaccess to within the assay device 2.

A cover 14 is movably mounted to the assay device housing 12 to at leastpartly cover the upper end 13. The cover 14 comprises a central aperture15. The cover 14 will be described in more detail below.

The assay device 2 comprises a PCR apparatus 16 which protrudes from oneside of the assay device 2. The PCR apparatus 16 will be described inmore detail below.

Referring now to FIG. 3 of the accompanying drawings, when the assaydevice 2 is inserted into the system 1, the assay device 2 is guidedinto the predetermined position on the support platform 8 such that thePCR apparatus 16 is at least partly received within a heating recess ofa heating apparatus 17, which is described in detail below.

The assay device 2 sits beneath a drive arrangement 18 which forms partof the system 1. In this arrangement, the drive arrangement 18 comprisesa drive element in the form of a plunger 19 which is configured to bemoved by the drive arrangement 18 outwardly from the drive arrangement18 so that a tip 20 of the plunger 19 moves through the aperture 15 inthe cover 14 of the assay device 2 along the direction generallyindicated by arrow 21 to engage a piston 22 within the assay device 2.The system 1 is configured to extend and retract the plunger 19 in orderto move the piston 22 during the operation of the system 1.

The system 1 comprises a controller 23 which incorporates a computingdevice, such as a microprocessor, and a memory. The controller 23 isconfigured to control the operation of the system 1 as described below.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-6 of the accompanying drawings, the assaydevice 2 comprises a body portion 24 which is elongate and which definesat least one internal chamber. In this arrangement, the body portion 24has sides which are defined by eight generally planar surfaces which arearranged such that the body portion 24 has an octagonal cross-section.It is, however, to be appreciated that other arrangements incorporate abody portion having a different shape and different cross-section.

In this arrangement, the body portion 24 defines a plurality of internalchambers. In this arrangement, the body portion 24 defines six internalchambers; a sample chamber 25, a wash chamber 26, a lysing agent chamber27, a liquid reagent chamber 28, a dry reagent chamber 29 and a wastechamber 30. The body portion 24 is also provided with a central aperture31.

The number of chambers within the assay device can vary in differentarrangements from 1 to as many as 10. In an arrangement for anSARS-CoV-2 assay, the assay device 2 comprises six chambers.

One end of the body portion 24 is provided with a protrusion 32, asshown in FIG. 5. The protrusion 32 is provided with a plurality ofapertures 33, as shown in FIG. 6. Each aperture 33 provides a fluidcommunication path with a respective one of the chambers 25-30.

Referring now to FIG. 7 of the accompanying drawings, the assay device 2comprises a transfer apparatus 34 which is movably mounted to the bodyportion 24. The transfer apparatus 34 comprises a plunger column 35which defines an elongate transfer chamber 36. In this arrangement, theplunger column 35 is an elongate and generally cylindrical column whichis configured to be at least partly received within the central aperture31 of the assay device body 24.

The plunger column 35 is the central part of the assay device 2. It isalso how the liquid contained in the assay device 2 is moved andmanipulated to and from the various chambers as it goes through all thestages of preparation for PCR. The transfer chamber 36 contains a piston22 in the form of a rubber plunger tip that connects to a plunger 19contained within the housing 3 of the system 1. Liquid is drawn into thetransfer chamber 36 via negative pressure before being forced out of thetransfer chamber 36 towards its destination chamber via positivepressure.

The transfer apparatus 34 comprises an enlarged end 37. In thisarrangement, the enlarged end 37 is generally cylindrical and isprovided with a drive formation in the form of teeth 38 which areprovided at spaced apart positions around the enlarged end 37. The teeth38 are configured to engage a corresponding drive formation on thesystem 1 such that rotation of the corresponding drive formation of thesystem 1 rotates the transfer apparatus 34. The movement of the transferapparatus is controlled by a motor contained within the housing of thesystem 1. The motor is a brushless DC motor, a stepper motor or any sortof electronically driven motor.

Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9 of the accompanying drawings, thetransfer apparatus 34 comprises a moveable flow path 39 which is definedby internal passages within the enlarged end 37. The moveable flow path39 is configured to move with the transfer apparatus 34 relative to theassay device body 24. The transfer apparatus 34 is provided with flowapertures 40, 41 which are fluidly coupled to the moveable flow path 39.The flow apertures 40, 41 are positioned such that the flow apertures40, 41 are selectively aligned with the apertures 33 on the assay devicebody 24 in order to selectively fluidly couple each respective chamber25-30 to the moveable flow path 39 depending on the position of thetransfer apparatus 34 relative to the assay device body 24.

One of the flow apertures 40 is fluidly coupled with the transferchamber 36 to permit fluid to flow into or out from the transfer chamber36 when the piston 22 is moved along at least part of the length of thetransfer chamber 36 due to the positive or negative pressure producedwithin the transfer chamber 36 as a result of the movement of the piston22.

The transfer apparatus 34 comprises a filtration arrangement 42 which isprovided within the enlarged end 37 such that fluid flowing along themoveable flow path 39 passes through the filtration arrangement 42. Inthis arrangement, the filtration arrangement 42 comprises an array offilters, gaskets and microbeads designed to separate larger pollutantsfrom the cells contained in the sample and trap the cells within a“lysing area”.

Referring to FIG. 10 of the accompanying drawings, the filtrationarrangement 42 comprises at least one filter element. In thisarrangement, the filtration arrangement 42 comprises a first filterelement 43 which is provided with pores of between 2 μm and 30 μm indiameter designed to filter out pollutants such as hair or dust. In thisarrangement, the filtration arrangement 42 comprises a second filterelement 44 which is superimposed on the first filter element 43. Thesecond filter element 44 is provided with pores of between 0.1 μm and 5μm in diameter where the pore size is selected to be slightly smallerthan the average size of the target cells so they are unable to passthrough the second filter element 44.

In this arrangement, the filtration arrangement 42 comprises gaskets45-47 which provide seals around the filter elements 43, 44. In thisarrangement, a larger gasket (approximately 200 μm thick) is providedbetween the first and second filter elements 43, 44 to create spacebetween the first and second filter for the lysing area.

In this arrangement, the filtration arrangement 42 comprises a pluralityof beads B which are retained between the first filter element 43 andthe second filter 44. In some arrangements, the beads B are microbeadshaving a diameter of approximately 100 microns. In some arrangements,approximately half of the beads B are buoyant so they collect near thetop of the filter arrangement 42 during sonication and the other halfare designed to not be buoyant and collect near the bottom of the filterarrangement 42. Between the two types of beads, a majority of the lysingarea will be filled with microbeads that help disrupt cell membranesduring sonication.

Referring now to FIG. 11 of the accompanying drawings, the transferapparatus 34 comprises a sonication chamber 48 which is positionedadjacent to the filtration arrangement 42 and which is fluidly coupledto the moveable flow path 39. In some arrangements, the sonicationchamber 48 has a volume of between 100 μl to 1000 μl. In somearrangements, the inlet to the sonication chamber 48 is positioned at alevel below the outlet of the sonication chamber 48, when the assaydevice 2 is standing upright, to allow liquid to flow from low to highand to let any air bubbles escape in the process.

The filtration arrangement 42 is provided within the sonication chamberand an ultrasonic transducer 49 is provided at the one end of thesonication chamber 48. In some arrangements, the filtration arrangement42 separates the inlet area of the sonication chamber 48 from the outletarea of the sonication chamber 48, substantially between on half or onequarter of the distance between the inlet and the outlet of thesonication chamber 48.

The ultrasonic transducer 49 is coupled electrically to the controller23 of the system 1 when the assay device 2 is inserted into the system1. The ultrasonic transducer 49 is configured to be controlled by thecontroller 23. The controller 23 comprises a processor configured tocontrol at least one process of the system and a memory, the memorystoring executable instructions which, when executed by the processor,cause the processor to provide an output to perform the at least oneprocess. The memory of the controller 23 stores executable instructionswhich, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to controlthe ultrasonic transducer 49 to oscillate at a selected frequency inorder to lyse cell within the sonication chamber 48 to release nucleicacid (DNA/RNA) from the cells.

In some arrangements, the ultrasonic transducer 49 is at least partly ofa compound comprising lead, zirconium and titanium. The compound of theultrasonic transducer 49 is selected to provide the ultrasonictransducer 49 with the properties for it to oscillate at a frequency of2.8 MHz to 3.2 MHz. This frequency range is the preferred frequencyrange for the ultrasonic transducer 49 to produce ultrasonic waves whichlyse or rupture cells.

In some arrangements, the ultrasonic transducer 49 comprises a firstelectrode on an upper side and a second electrode on a lower side whichis on the opposing side of the ultrasonic transducer 49. In somearrangements, the first electrode and the second electrode comprisesilver, for instance in the form of silver stamp paint. In somearrangements, the capacitance between the first electrode and the secondelectrode is 800 pF to 1300 pF.

In some arrangements, the first electrode on the upper side of theultrasonic transducer 49 is at least partly covered with a glasscoating. The glass coating minimizes or prevents possible contaminationof liquid within the sonication chamber 48 by the material of the firstelectrode. The glass coating also minimizes or prevents erosion of thesilver of the first electrode, for instance due to cavitation bubblecollapse caused by ultrasonic waves travelling through liquid within thesonication chamber 48 when the system is in use.

The first and second electrodes of the ultrasonic transducer 49 areconnected electrically to respective first and second electricalterminals of the controller 23.

In some arrangements, the controller 23 comprises an AC driver. The ACdriver generates an AC drive signal at a predetermined frequency andoutputs the AC drive signal to drive the ultrasonic transducer 49. TheAC driver comprises a circuit incorporating electronic components whichare connected to generate an AC drive signal from power received from apower source. In some arrangements, the AC driver comprises a H-bridgecircuit. In some arrangements, the H-bridge circuit comprises fourMOSFETs which are connected to convert a direct current into analternating current at high frequency (e.g. a frequency in the range 2.8MHz to 3.2 MHz).

In some arrangements, the controller 23 comprises an active powermonitor. The active power monitor comprises an electronic circuit whichmonitors the active power used by the ultrasonic transducer 49 when theultrasonic transducer 49 is driven by the AC drive signal. The activepower monitor provides a monitoring signal which is indicative of anactive power used by the ultrasonic transducer 49. In some arrangements,the active power monitor comprises a current sensor which senses a drivecurrent of the AC drive signal driving the ultrasonic transducer 49 andprovides a monitoring signal which is indicative of the sensed drivecurrent.

The processor of the controller 23 controls the AC driver and receivesthe monitoring signal from the active power monitor.

In some arrangements, the controller 23 comprises a frequency controllerwhich is implemented in the executable code stored in the memory which,when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform at leastone function of the frequency controller.

The memory of the controller 23 stores executable instructions which,when executed by the processor, cause the processor to control theultrasonic transducer 49 to oscillate at a plurality of frequencieswithin a predetermined sweep frequency range and to select a drivefrequency for the ultrasonic transducer 49 which is between a firstpredetermined frequency and a second predetermined frequency for lysingcells within the sonication chamber 48.

In some arrangements, the frequency will be determined by the type ofcells that are being lysed as some cells may require differentfrequencies due to their physical characteristics (size, shape, presenceof cell wall, etc.).

There is an optimum frequency or frequency range for lysing cells withinthe sonication chamber. The optimum frequency or frequency range willdepend on at least the following four parameters:

1. Transducer Manufacturing Processes

In some arrangements, the ultrasonic transducer 49 comprises apiezoelectric ceramic. The piezoelectric ceramic is manufactured bymixing compounds to make a ceramic dough and this mixing process may notbe consistent throughout production. This inconsistency can give rise toa range of different resonant frequencies of the cured piezoelectricceramic.

If the resonant frequency of the piezoelectric ceramic does notcorrespond to the required frequency of operation, the process of lysingcells is not optimal. Even a slight offset in the resonant frequency ofthe piezoelectric ceramic is enough to impact the lysing process,meaning that the system will not function optimally.

2. Load on Transducer

During operation, any changes in the load on the ultrasonic transducer49 will inhibit the overall displacement of the oscillation of theultrasonic transducer 49. To achieve optimal displacement of theoscillation of the ultrasonic transducer 49, the drive frequency must beadjusted to enable the controller 23 to provide adequate power formaximum displacement.

The types of loads that can affect the efficiency of the ultrasonictransducer 49 can include the amount of liquid on the transducer (i.e.the amount of liquid within the sonication chamber 48).

3. Temperature

Ultrasonic oscillations of the ultrasonic transducer 49 are partiallydamped by its assembly in the assay device 2. This dampening of theoscillations can cause a rise in local temperatures on and around theultrasonic transducer 49.

An increase in temperature affects the oscillation of the ultrasonictransducer 49 due to changes in the molecular behavior of the ultrasonictransducer 49. An increase in the temperature means more energy to themolecules of the ceramic, which temporarily affects its crystallinestructure. Although the effect is reversed as the temperature reduces, amodulation in supplied frequency is required to maintain optimaloscillation.

An increase in temperature also reduces the viscosity of the solutionwithin the sonication chamber 48, which may require an alteration to thedrive frequency to optimize lysis of cells within the sonication chamber48.

4. Distance to Power Source

The oscillation frequency of the ultrasonic transducer 49 can changedepending on the wire-lengths between the ultrasonic transducer 49 andthe oscillator-driver. The frequency of the electronic circuit isinversely proportional to the distance between the ultrasonic transducer49 and the controller 23.

Although the distance parameter is primarily fixed in this arrangement,it can vary during the manufacturing process of the system 1. Therefore,it is desirable to modify the drive frequency of the ultrasonictransducer 49 to compensate for the variations and optimize theefficiency of the system.

An ultrasonic transducer 49 can be modelled as an RLC circuit in anelectronic circuit, as shown in FIG. 12. The four parameters describedabove may be modelled as alterations to the overall inductance,capacitance, and/or resistance of the RLC circuit, changing theresonance frequency range supplied to the transducer. As the frequencyof the circuit increases to around the resonance point of thetransducer, the log Impedance of the overall circuit dips to a minimumand then rises to a maximum before settling to a median range.

FIG. 13 shows a generic graph explaining the change in overall impedancewith increase in frequency in the RLC circuit. FIG. 14 shows how apiezoelectric transducer acts as a capacitor in a first capacitiveregion at frequencies below a first predetermined frequency f_(s) and ina second capacitive region at frequencies above a second predeterminedfrequency f_(p). The piezoelectric transducer acts as an inductor in aninductive region at frequencies between the first and secondpredetermined frequencies f_(s), f_(p). In order to maintain optimaloscillation of the transducer and hence maximum efficiency, the currentflowing through the transducer must be maintained at a frequency withinthe inductive region.

The memory of the controller 23 stores executable instructions which,when executed by the processor, cause the processor to maintain thefrequency of oscillation of the ultrasonic transducer 49 within theinductive region, in order to maximize the efficiency of the lysis ofcells within the sonication chamber 48.

The memory of the controller 23 stores executable instructions which,when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a sweepoperation in which the controller 23 drives the transducer atfrequencies which track progressively across a predetermined sweepfrequency range. In other words, the driver apparatus 2 drives thetransducer at a plurality of different frequencies across thepredetermined sweep frequency range. For instance at frequencies whichincrement by a predetermined frequency from one end of the sweepfrequency range to the other end of the sweep frequency range.

In some arrangements, as the controller 23 performs the sweep, thecontroller 23 monitors an Analog-to-Digital Conversion (ADC) value of anAnalog-to-Digital converter which is provided within the controller 23and coupled to the ultrasonic transducer 49. In some arrangements theADC value is a parameter of the ADC which is proportional to the voltageacross the ultrasonic transducer 49. In other arrangements, the ADCvalue is a parameter of the ADC which is proportional to the currentflowing through the ultrasonic transducer 49.

During the sweep operation, the controller 23 locates the inductiveregion of the frequency for the transducer. Once the controller 23 hasidentified the inductive region, the controller 23 records the ADC valueand locks the drive frequency of the transducer at a frequency withinthe inductive region (i.e. between the first and second predeterminedfrequencies f_(s), f_(p)) in order to optimize the operation of theultrasonic transducer 49. When the drive frequency is locked within theinductive region, the electro-mechanical coupling factor of thetransducer is maximized, thereby maximizing the operation of theultrasonic transducer 49.

In some arrangements, the controller 23 determines the active powerbeing used by the ultrasonic transducer 49 by monitoring the currentflowing through the transducer 49. The active power is the real or truepower which is dissipated by the ultrasonic transducer 49.

Ultrasonic (piezoelectric) transducer mechanical deformation is linkedto the AC Voltage amplitude that is applied to it, and in order toguarantee optimal functioning and delivery of the system, the maximumdeformation must be supplied to the ultrasonic transducer all the time.By Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) of the AC voltage applied to theultrasonic transducer, the mechanical amplitude of the vibration remainsthe same. In some arrangements, the system actively adjusts the dutycycle of the AC voltage waveform to maximize deformation of theultrasonic transducer in order to guarantee optimal functioning anddelivery of the system.

One approach involves modifying the AC voltage applied to the ultrasonictransducer via the use of a Digital to Analog Converter (DAC). Theenergy transmitted to the ultrasonic transducer would be reduced but sowould the mechanical deformation which as a result does not producemaximum deformation. The RMS voltage applied to the ultrasonictransducer would be the same with effective Duty Cycle modulation aswith Voltage modulation, but the active power transferred to theultrasonic transducer would degrade. Indeed, given the formula below:

Active Power displayed to the ultrasonic transducer being:

${{Pa} = {\frac{2\sqrt{2}}{\pi}I\;{rms}*V\;{rms}*\cos\;\varphi}},$

Where

φ is the shift in phase between current and voltage

I_(rms) is the root mean square Current

V_(rms) is the root mean square Voltage.

When considering the first harmonic, Irms is a function of the realvoltage amplitude applied to the ultrasonic transducer, as the pulsewidth modulation alters the duration of voltage supplied to theultrasonic transducer, controlling Irms.

In this arrangement, the memory of the controller 23 stores instructionswhich, when executed by the processor of the controller 23, cause theprocessor to:

-   -   A. control the AC driver of the controller 23 to output an AC        drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer 49 at a predetermined        sweep frequency;    -   B. calculate the active power being used by the ultrasonic        transducer 49 based on the monitoring signal;    -   C. control the AC driver to modulate the AC drive signal to        maximize the active power being used by the ultrasonic        transducer 49;    -   D. store a record in the memory of the maximum active power used        by the ultrasonic transducer 49 and the sweep frequency of the        AC drive signal;    -   E. repeat steps A-D for a predetermined number of iterations        with the sweep frequency incrementing with each iteration such        that, after the predetermined number of iterations has occurred,        the sweep frequency has been incremented from a start sweep        frequency to an end sweep frequency;    -   F. identify from the records stored in the memory the optimum        frequency for the AC drive signal which is the sweep frequency        of the AC drive signal at which a maximum active power is used        by the ultrasonic transducer 49; and    -   G. control the AC driver to output an AC drive signal to the        ultrasonic transducer 49 at the optimum frequency.

In some arrangements, the start sweep frequency is 2800 kHz and the endsweep frequency is 3200 kHz. In other arrangements, the start sweepfrequency and the end sweep frequency are lower and upper frequencies ofa frequency range within the range of 2800 kHz to 3200 kHz.

In some arrangements, the processor controls the AC driver to output anAC drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer 49 at frequency which isshifted by between 1-10% of the optimum frequency. In thesearrangements, the frequency shift is used to prolong the life of theultrasonic transducer 49 by minimizing potential damage caused to theultrasonic transducer 49 when the ultrasonic transducer 49 is drivencontinuously at the optimum drive frequency which produces maximumdisplacement.

In some arrangements, the AC driver modulates the AC drive signal bypulse width modulation to maximize the active power being used by theultrasonic transducer 49.

In some arrangements, the processor 40 controls the AC driver toalternately output an AC drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer 49 atthe optimum frequency for a first predetermined length of time and tonot output an AC drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer 49 for asecond predetermined length of time. This alternate activation anddeactivation of the ultrasonic transducer 49 has been found to optimizethe process of lysing cells in a sample within the sonication chamber48.

In some arrangements, in order to ensure optimal operation of theultrasonic transducer 49, the controller 23 operates in a recursivemode. When the controller 23 operates in the recursive mode, thecontroller 23 runs the sweep of frequencies in steps A-D periodicallyduring the operation of the system.

In some arrangements, the AC driver of the controller 23 is configuredto alternately output the AC drive signal and to not output the AC drivesignal according to an operating mode. The timings of twelve operatingmodes of some arrangements are shown in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 First Second predetermined predetermined Operating length oftime length of time mode (seconds) (seconds) 1 4 2 2 3 2 3 2 2 4 1 2 5 11 6 2 1 7 3 1 8 4 1 9 4 3 10 3 3 11 2 3 12 1 3

In some arrangements, the memory of the controller 23 stores executableinstructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processorto perform the sweep operation to locate the inductive region each timethe oscillation is started or re-started. In these arrangements, thememory of the controller 23 stores executable instructions which, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the processor to lock the drivefrequency at a new frequency within the inductive region each time theoscillation is started and thereby compensate for any changes in theparameters that affect the efficiency of operation of the ultrasonictransducer 49.

In some arrangements, in order to ensure optimal operation of theultrasonic transducer 49, the controller 23 operates in a recursivemode. When the controller 23 operates in the recursive mode, thecontroller 23 runs the sweep of frequencies periodically during theoperation of the system and monitors the ADC value to determine if theADC value is above a predetermined threshold which is indicative ofoptimal oscillation of the operation of the ultrasonic transducer 49.

In some arrangements, the controller 23 runs the sweep operation whilethe system is in the process of lysing cells in case the controller 23is able to identify a possible better frequency for the ultrasonictransducer 49 which maximizes displacement of the ultrasonic transducer49. If the controller 23 identifies a better frequency, the controller23 locks the drive frequency at the newly identified better frequency inorder to maintain optimal operation of the ultrasonic transducer 49.

FIG. 15 shows a flow diagram of the operation of the controller 23 ofsome arrangements.

Referring now to FIGS. 16 and 17 of the accompanying drawings, the lid14 of the assay device 2 comprises a generally planar cover 50 which isconfigured to close an open end of at least the sample chamber 25 of theassay device body 24. The lid 14 comprises side walls 51 which extendaround the periphery of the cover 50. In this arrangement, an air inletaperture 52 is provided in one of the side walls 51.

In this arrangement, the lid 14 comprises a pivotal mounting arrangement53 for pivotally mounting the lid 14 to the assay device body 24. Inother arrangements, the lid 14 is configured with a different movablemounting arrangement to moveably mount the lid 14 to the assay devicebody 24.

The lid 14 comprises a gas permeable membrane 54 which is superimposedbeneath the lid member 50 around the ends of the side walls 51. The gaspermeable membrane 54 provides a substantially gas tight seal around theside walls 51 and around the central aperture 15 to prevent crosscontamination or accidental spillage. In some arrangements, the gaspermeable membrane 54 is a Gore-Tex™ material.

In use, the air inlet aperture 52 allows air to flow into the lid 14 andfor the air to flow through the gas permeable membrane 54 and into atleast the sample chamber 25 within the assay device body 24.

In other arrangements, the gas permeable membrane 54 may be replacedwith another one-way gas flow member, such as a valve.

Referring now to FIGS. 18-20 of the accompanying drawings, the PCRapparatus 16 of the assay device 2 comprises a fin 55 which is coupledto the assay device body 24 such that the fin 55 protrudes outwardlyfrom the assay device body 24. The fin 55 comprises an enlarged mountingmember 56 which is configured to be connected to the assay device body24. The mounting member 56 is provided with a first aperture 57 and asecond aperture 58 which extend through to the fin 55 such that theapertures 57, 58 are in fluid communication with a PCR chamber 59 whichis defined within the fin 55. In this arrangement, the fin 55 furthercomprises a plurality of internal chambers 60 in a central portion 61which partly surrounds the PCR chamber 59.

The fin 55 is generally rectangular with angled ends 62, 63 whichconverge to a point 64. In use, after the sample passes through both thereagent chambers of the assay device 2, it is pushed into the PCR fin 55which contains the PCR chamber 59.

In some arrangements, the reagents selected for the PCR process arechosen in order to facilitate an extreme rRT-PCR process as well asallow for temperature monitoring via fluorescence. In some arrangements,the reagent formula consists of or comprises: 5 μM of each forward andreverse primer (6 total primers, 2 sets for detecting SARS-CoV-2 and 1set to serve as a control for a successful PCR reaction), IX LCGreen+dye, 0.2 μM of each deoxynucleoside triphosphate (dNTP): dATP, dTTP,dGTP, dCTP, 50 mM Tris, 1.65 μM KlenTaq, 25 ng/μL BSA, 1.25 U/μL MaloneMurine leukemia virus reverse transcriptase (MMLV), 7.4 mM MgCl₂, andsulforhodamine B.

Referring now to FIGS. 21 and 22 of the accompanying drawings, the fin55 of the PCR apparatus 16 is configured to be at least partly receivedwithin the heating apparatus 17.

In this arrangement, the heating apparatus 17 comprises two generallycircular planar discs 65, 66 which are spaced apart from one another androtatably mounted to a pivot member 67. A heating recess 68 is definedby a part of the space between the discs 65, 66.

In this arrangement, disc 65 is a movable support element which carriesa first heating element 69 a and a second heating element 69 b, as shownin FIG. 23. The first and second heating elements 69 a, 69 b are spacedapart from one another on either side of the disc 65.

The heating apparatus 17 further comprises a motor which is configuredto move the disc 65 to rotate about the pivot member 67 so that the disc65 moves between a first position in which the first heating element 69a is positioned closer to the heating recess 68 than the second heatingelement 69 b and a second position in which the second heating element69 b is positioned closer to the heating recess 68 than the firstheating element 69 a. The motor is coupled electrically to thecontroller 23 so that the controller 23 can control the motor to movethe disc 65 cyclically between the first position and the secondposition.

In some arrangements, the heating apparatus 17 comprises a temperaturesensor which is configured to sense the temperature of a liquid withinthe PCR apparatus positioned within the heating recess 68 and the systemis configured to control the movement of the first and second heatingelements in response to the sensed temperature.

Referring now to FIG. 24 of the accompanying drawings, the system 1comprises an infectious disease detection arrangement in the form of afluorescence detection arrangement 70 which comprises a generally planarsupport member 71 which is provided with an aperture 72 through whichthe pivot member 67 extends. The fluorescence detection arrangementcomprises a first triangular portion 73 and a second triangular portion74 and an indented portion 75. The planar body 71 and the triangularportions 73, 74 are positioned in the space between the discs 65, 66 ofthe heating apparatus.

The indented portion 75 is shaped to receive the pointed end of the fin55 of the PCR apparatus 16.

The detection apparatus 70 is provided with a plurality of lightemitters 76 along one edge of the recessed portion 75 and a plurality ofphoto receptors 77 along another edge of the recessed portion 75. Inthis arrangement, there are four light emitters in the form of four LEDswhich are each configured to transmit light at a different wavelengthand there are four photo detectors 77 which are each configured todetect light at a different wavelength. However, in other arrangements,there are a different number of light emitters and photo detectors.

The detection apparatus 70 is, in some arrangements, configured todetect the fluorescence emitted from the LCGreen+ and sulforhodamine Bdyes to monitor PCR, melting curves and temperature changes.

In some arrangements, the detection apparatus is a SARS-CoV-2 virusdetection apparatus detects a presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus thatcauses COVID-19 disease.

Result Reporting

In some arrangements, the system 1 comprises a display, such as an LCDmonitor, on the exterior of the housing 3. After the information fromthe system has been processed by the controller 23, the result of thetest will be displayed on the display. The four possible results of theassay are as follows: Positive, Negative, Inconclusive, or Invalid. Inthe case of a COVID-19 test, the criteria for the four results are shownin Table 2 below.

TABLE 2 COVID COVID RNAse P Gene1 Gene2 ‘control’ Result Report + + +/−2019-nCOV Positive detected One of two is + +/− InconclusiveInconclusive − − + 2019-nCOV Negative not detected − − − Invalid resultInvalid

SARS-CoV-2 Example

The operation of a system of some arrangements will now be described fora SARS-CoV-2 assay.

In the assay device 2, the first chamber is the sample chamber intowhich a user adds a target sample to be screened. In some arrangements,the target sample is a saliva sample or a sputum sample. In otherarrangements, the target sample is collected from a user by anasopharyngeal swab or an oropharyngeal swab. In further arrangements,the target sample is a blood sample.

In some arrangements, the target sample is between 1 ml to 5 ml involume. The sample, is after being collected from the patient, is placedinto an elution buffer prior to being added to the sample chamber. Insome arrangements, the elution buffer comprises: 1M Imidazole solution,1M Tris, 0.5M EDTA, Milli-Q or Deionized water.

The next chamber is the wash chamber. In some arrangements, the washchamber contains an excess amount (3 ml to 5 ml) of an elution buffer asmentioned above. The wash buffer is used to wash the sample to removeany potential contaminants.

The next chamber is the lysing agent chamber. In some arrangements, thelysing agent chamber contains a mixture of chemicals to assist in thecell lysing step of the assay. In some arrangements, the lysing agentcomprises a formulation, including, but not limited to the followingthree formulations:

Lysis Formula #1:

-   -   10 mM Tris    -   0.25% Igepal    -   CA-630    -   150 mM NaCl

Lysis Formula #2:

-   -   10 mM Tris-HCl    -   10 mM NaCl    -   10 mM EDTA    -   0.5% Triton-X100

Lysis Formula #3:

-   -   0.1M LiCl    -   0.1M Tris-HCl    -   S1% SDS    -   10 mm EDTA

The next chamber is the liquid reagent mixing chamber. Once the samplehas been sonicated and cell lysis has occurred, the freed nucleic acidis then pushed to the liquid reagent mixing chamber via pressure fromthe plunger column. The liquid reagent chamber contains theliquid-stable components of the rRT-PCR reagent mixture. Examplecomponents held in this chamber are, in some arrangements: Tris, IXLCGreen Dye, free nucleotides, MgCl₂ or sulforhodamine B.

The next chamber is the lyophilized reagent mixing chamber. This chambercontains a freeze-dried or lyophilized form of reagents that are notable to be stored for long periods in a liquid or hydrated state such asproteins. Example components that would be lyophilized for long-termstorage in the assay device are, in some arrangements: primers,polymerases, reverse transcriptase or bovine serum albumin (BSA).

The next chamber is the PCR chamber, this chamber is located external tothe main section of the pod in the PCR fin. This chamber is where thefinal mixed PCR solution (containing the freed nucleic acid from theinitial sample and all of the PCR reagents) is sent prior to the rRT-PCRprocess.

The final chamber is the waste chamber. This chamber holds all thediscarded components throughout the cycles of the assay device. Forexample, when the wash solution is pushed through the sonicationchamber, the solution is sent directly to the waste chamber upon exitingthe sonication chamber. The volume of this chamber should be at minimumthe total volume of all the liquid in the pod, plus the volume of thesample added.

PCR Methods

The method of some arrangements performs rRT-PCR for rapid detection andconfirmation of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a sample. In order tocontrol the heating and cooling process necessary for a RT-PCR reactionto occur, the system of some arrangements uses the heating apparatus 17as a thermal cycler with dual heating elements that provide thenecessary temperature cycles.

The discs 65, 66 of the heating apparatus 17 rotate rapidly during theextreme rRT-PCR cycling to apply different heat levels to heat the PCRchamber to the desired temperatures. Heating elements 69 a, 69 b arelocated on opposite sides of the disc and each occupy an area of aquarter of the surface area of the disc. Each heating element 69 a, 69 bis programmed to reach a certain temperature.

The first heating element 69 a heats initially to 45° C., pauses for thereverse transcriptase step, then heats to its PCR temperature of 55° C.The second heating element 69 b heats to 95° C. and is only used duringthe PCR step. The other two sections of the disc 65 serve as insulatingareas between the heating elements 69 a, 69 b.

In some arrangement, the heat cycling occurs as follows: a ramp up to45° C. of the first heating element 69 a while the PCR chamber isexposed to an insulating section of the disc. Once the first heatingelement reaches 45° C., the disc 65 rotates to expose the PCR chamber tothe second heating element 69 b for 2 seconds to allow the reversetranscriptase process to occur. Immediately following that, the firstheating element heats to 55° C. and the PCR process begins.

In some arrangements, the disc 65 begins to rapidly alternate betweenexposing the PCR chamber to the first and second heating elements forapproximately 30-35 cycles of heating and cooling. After each rotationof the disc 65, the temperature of the liquid in the PCR chamber ismonitored using passive fluorescence detection of the sulforhodamine Bdye.

When the second heating element 69 b is adjacent to the PCR chamber andthe temperature of the liquid within the PCR chamber reaches 95° C., thedisc 65 is triggered to rotate and move first heating element 69 aadjacent to the PCR chamber. When the temperature then drops to 55° C.,the disc 65 rotates back to the second heating element 69 b. Thiscompletes one cycle.

Following the last PCR cycle, the first heating element 69 a is rotatedadjacent to the PCR chamber and begins heating at a rate of 8° C./s to atemperature between 90° C. and 100° C. to allow for the melting analysisto be performed to confirm the presence of specific PCR products.

Infectious Disease Screening Device

An infectious disease screening device 100 of some arrangementscomprises eight main components: a chamber array containing variousliquid chambers and passages, a sonication chamber, valves, pressureinlets (e.g. for attaching a Luer lock syringe), particulate filters, aPCR printed circuit board with heating elements and microfluidicchambers, PCR reagents and a final detection chamber.

Whilst the arrangements described above comprise an assay device 2having a transfer arrangement in the form of a piston, an infectiousdisease screening device 100 of other arrangements comprises chambersformed on a substrate 101, as shown in FIG. 25. In some arrangements,the substrate 101 is entirely or at least partly composed of silicon.The components of the infectious disease screening device 100 are formedin or on a film deposited on the silicon substrate and/or by etching inthe silicon substrate. In some arrangements, the infectious diseasescreening device 100 is at least partly formed from a silicon waferwhich is processed using techniques that are more traditionally used formanufacturing semiconductor microchips.

The use of the substrate enables the infectious disease screening deviceto be manufactured at low cost and in a high volume because existingsemiconductor processing techniques allow for such low cost and highvolume production.

The infectious disease screening device 100 comprises a sonicationchamber 102 formed on the substrate 101. The sonication chamber 102 hasa sample inlet 103, a sample outlet 104 and an ultrasonic transducer105.

The sample inlet 103 is coupled in fluid communication with thesonication chamber 102 by a flow path 106. A valve 107 is provided alongthe flow path 106 to selectively allow or prevent a sample liquid fromflowing from the sample inlet 103 into the sonication chamber 102.

The sample outlet 104 is provided with a filter 108 which filters samplefluid flowing out from the sample outlet 104. A valve 109 is providedalong a fluid flow path 110 which is coupled in fluid communication withthe sample outlet 104.

The ultrasonic transducer 105 is configured to generate ultrasonic wavesto lyse cells in a sample fluid within the sonication chamber 102. Theultrasonic transducer 105 is configured to be controlled to oscillate togenerate ultrasonic waves by a controller, such as the controller 23described above. The infectious disease screening device 100 of somearrangements comprises the controller 23 described above. The controller23 is coupled electrically to the ultrasonic transducer 105 to controlthe ultrasonic transducer 105 to generate ultrasonic waves.

The infectious disease screening device 100 comprises a reagent chamber111 which is formed on the substrate 101 for receiving a liquid PCRreagent. The reagent chamber 111 has an inlet 112 and an outlet 113. Theinlet 112 is coupled with the sample outlet 104 of the sonicationchamber 102. The reagent chamber 111 is provided with a pressure driveport 114 which is in fluid communication with the PCR chamber 111, witha valve 115 being provided between the pressure drive port 114 and thereagent chamber 111.

The pressure drive port 114, and the other pressure drive portsdescribed herein, are configured to be connected to a pressure drivearrangement. The pressure drive arrangement may be any kind of pressuredrive arrangement. In some arrangements, the pressure drive arrangementis a Luer lock syringe. In other arrangements, the pressure drivearrangement is a pressure drive arrangement within the system 1 which iscontrolled by the controller 23. As will be described in more detailbelow, the pressure drive arrangement applies a positive or negativepressure to a pressure drive port which acts on fluid within one or morechambers of the infectious disease screening device 100 to cause thefluid to flow between the chambers.

The outlet 113 of the reagent chamber 111 is coupled via a valve 116 toan outlet flow path 117. The fluid outlet 117 is coupled fluidly with aPCR chamber, as described below.

The infectious disease screening device 100 further comprises at leastone further chamber which is formed on the substrate 101. One suchfurther chamber is a wash chamber 118 which is coupled fluidly via avalve 119 to the sonication chamber 102. A pressure drive port 120 isprovided on the wash chamber 118 such that a pressure drive arrangementcan exert a pressure to drive a wash liquid from within the wash chamber118 into the sonication chamber 102.

In some arrangements, the infectious disease screening device 100further comprises a lysing agent chamber 121 which is coupled fluidlywith the sonication chamber 102 via a valve 122. The lysing agentchamber 121 is provided with a pressure drive port 123 which isconfigured to apply a pressure to drive a lysing agent liquid from thelysing agent chamber 121 into the sonication chamber 102.

The infectious disease screening device 100 of some arrangements furthercomprises a waste chamber 124 which is coupled fluidly with thesonication chamber 102 via a valve 125 and a filter 126. In otherarrangements, the number of chambers within the infectious diseasescreening device 100 may be different from the arrangement describedabove. In some arrangements, the number of chambers can vary from onechamber to as many as ten chambers. For the SARS-CoV-2 infectiousdisease screening device, the infectious disease screening devicecomprises six chambers.

In use, a user injects a sample that is to be analyzed into the sampleinlet 103. The sample is preferably placed into an elution buffer priorto being added to the infectious disease screening device 100.

In some arrangements, the elution buffer consists of: 1M Imidazolesolution, 1M Tris, 0.5M EDTA, Milli-Q, sterile saline or Deionizedwater.

When the target sample is loaded into the device via the sample inlet103, the sample is deposited directly into the sonication chamber 102,as shown in FIG. 26. In some arrangements, the sonication chamber 102has a volume of 100 μl to 1000 μl. In some arrangements, the sonicationchamber 102 comprises ports to all of the other chambers in theinfectious disease screening device 100. The flow of liquid throughthese ports is directed by a system of valves that can be opened orclosed by the user and/or by the controller 23.

The ports that lead from the sonication chamber 102 to the waste chamber124 and the PCR reagent chamber 111 include filters 126, 108. In somearrangements, the filters 126, 108 have pores of 0.1 μm to 0.5 μm indiameter. The filters trap the target cells and/or viral particles andretain them in the sonication chamber 102 as various washes and othersolutions pass through the sonication chamber 102 and into the wastechamber 124. The filter 108 on the PCR reagent port 104 serves tocontain the cells and/or viral particles within the sonication chamber102 until lysis occurs. After lysis, the pores in the filter 108 aredesigned to be large enough to still trap the broken cells and/or viralparticles, but allow their genetic material to pass through.

In some arrangements, the base of the sonication chamber 102 is apiezoelectric disc which functions as the ultrasonic transducer 105 tosend acoustic waves through the liquid medium of the filled sonicchamber to disrupt the target cells and release their genetic material.In some arrangements, the height of the sonication chamber 102 isapproximately 200 μm.

In some arrangements, the sonication chamber 102 contains beads 127 ormicrobeads with a diameter of approximately 100 μm (only some of whichare shown in FIG. 25). In some arrangements, approximately half of thebeads 127 are buoyant so they exist near the top of the sonicationchamber 102 during sonication and the other half are designed to not bebuoyant and exist near the bottom of the sonication chamber 102. Betweenthe two types of beads 127, a majority of the “lysing area” within thesonication chamber 102 will be encompassed with beads 127 that can helpdisrupt cell membranes during sonication.

The next chamber is the wash chamber 118. In use, the wash chamber 118contains an excess amount (3 ml to 5 ml) of an elution buffer asmentioned above. The wash buffer is used to wash the sample once it isdelivered to the sonication chamber 102 and remove any potentialcontaminants.

The next chamber is the lysing agent chamber 121. The lysing agentchamber 121 contains a mixture of chemicals to assist in the cell lysingstep of the assay. A lysing agent is pushed from the lysing agentchamber 121 into the sonication chamber 102 where it mixes with thesample, as shown in FIG. 27. In some arrangements, lysing agent consistsof formulations, including, but not limited to:

-   -   Lysis Formula #1:        -   10 mM Tris        -   0.25% Igepal CA-630        -   150 mM NaCl    -   Lysis Formula #2:        -   10 mM Tris-HCl        -   10 mM NaCl        -   10 mM EDTA        -   0.5% Triton-X100    -   Lysis Formula #3:        -   0.1M LiCl        -   0.1M Tris-HCl        -   1% SDS        -   10 mm EDTA

The next chamber is the PCR reagent chamber 111. Once the sample hasbeen sonicated and cell lysis has occurred, as shown in FIG. 28, thefreed nucleic acid is then pushed through the filter 108 to the PCRreagent chamber 111, as shown in FIG. 29. The PCR reagent chamber 111contains the components needed for the rRT-PCR process. The sampleenters the PCR reagent chamber 111 and is then toggled in and out of thePCR reagent chamber 111 by pressure exerted by a pressure drivearrangement (not shown) coupled to the pressure drive port 114. Thistoggling back and forth ensures the sample is sufficiently mixed withthe PCR reagents, as shown in FIG. 30. Once the sample and PCR reagentsare sufficiently mixed, the mixture is then pushed from the PCR reagentchamber 111 out through the flow path 117 to a PCR chamber. The PCRchamber is, in some arrangements, a channel in a PCR heating arrangementwhere the RT-PCR process will occur, as described below.

The final chamber is the waste chamber 124. The waste chamber 124 holdsall the discarded components throughout the cycles of the chamber array.For example, when the wash solution is pushed through the sonicationchamber 102, the solution is sent directly to the waste chamber 124 uponexiting the sonication chamber 102. The minimum volume of the wastechamber 124 is the total volume of all the liquid in the infectiousdisease screening device 100, plus the volume of the sample added.

PCR Reagents

In some arrangements, the PCR reagents in the PCR reagent chamber 111are selected to facilitate the extreme rRT-PCR process as well as toallow for temperature monitoring via fluorescence.

In some arrangements, the PCR reagent formula is as follows: 5 μM ofeach forward and reverse primer (6 total primers, 2 sets for detectingSARS-CoV-2 and 1 set to serve as a control for a successful PCRreaction), IX LCGreen+ dye, 0.2 μM of each deoxynucleoside triphosphate(dNTP): dATP, dTTP, dGTP, dCTP, 50 mM Tris, 1.65 μM KlenTaq, 25 ng/μLBSA, 1.25 U/μL Malone Murine leukemia virus reverse transcriptase(MMLV), and 7.4 mM MgCl₂.

PCR Methods

Some examples of rRT-PCR processes are the processes described ininternational patent application no. PCT/US2016/060650 for rapiddetection and confirmation of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a sample,incorporated by reference herein.

In order to control the heating and cooling process necessary for aRT-PCR reaction to occur, the sample is output from the PCR reagentchamber 111 to a heating arrangement 128, as shown in FIG. 31. Theheating arrangement 128 comprises a channel 129 which is formed on asubstrate 130. The channel 129 defines a fluid flow path between achannel inlet 131 and a channel outlet 132. The channel functions as aPCR chamber for performing a PCR process on a sample fluid flowing alongthe channel 129.

In some arrangements, the substrate 130 comprising the chamber arraydescribed above is formed integrally with the substrate 101 of theheating arrangement 128. In some embodiments, the substrates 130, 101are portions of the same silicon wafer.

In some arrangements, the heating arrangement 128 is a microfluidic chipcontaining microchannels of varying sizes and heating elements to heatand cool the sample as it flows through the channels.

In some arrangements, the channel 129 is formed in a polyimide layer 133which is deposited on the substrate 130, shown in FIG. 32. The polyimidelayer 133 is deposited on a first side 134 of the substrate 130.

A second side 135 of the substrate 130 carries a first heating element136. In this arrangement, the heating arrangement 128 comprises a secondheating element 137 and a third heating element 138. The heatingelements 136-138 are positioned adjacent one another on the second side135 of the substrate 130. In some arrangements, the heating elements136-138 are of copper which is deposited on the substrate 130 usingprinted circuit board manufacturing techniques. In some arrangements,the copper has a conductivity of approximately 1.7E-8Ω·m. The heatingelements 136-138 each have a predetermined electrical resistance whichcauses the temperature of the heating elements 136-138 to increase whena current flows through the heating elements 136-138. In somearrangements, each heating element 136-138 has a resistance ofapproximately 2.5Ω.

In some arrangements, an electrical connection is established (directlyor indirectly) between the heating elements 136-138 and the controller23. The controller 23 controls the supply of electricity to each of theheating elements 136-138 which in turn controls the temperature of eachof the heating elements 136-138.

Referring now to FIGS. 33-35, each of the heating elements 136-138 isformed along the length of the substrate 130. Each heating element136-138 comprises multiple interconnected S-shaped turns. The firstheating element 136 has an overall first width 139, the second heatingelement 137 has an overall second width 140 and the third heatingelement 138 has an overall third width 141. In this arrangement, thefirst and third overall widths 139, 141 are approximately 6 mm and thesecond overall width 140 is approximately 11.5 mm. The spacings 142, 143between the heating elements 136-138 are approximately 0.5 mm.

Each of the heating elements 136-138 is an elongate electrical conductorwhich, in this arrangement, has a conductor width 144 of approximately100 μm and a conductor depth 145 of approximately 18 μm. Each of theheating elements 136-138 has a turn width 146 of approximately 400 μm.

As will be described in more detail below, the first heating element 136is configured to heat to a temperature of approximately 95° C., thesecond heating element 137 is configured to heat to a temperature ofapproximately 77° C. and the third heating element 138 is configured toheat to a temperature of approximately 55° C.

Returning now to FIG. 31, the channel 129 is formed from multipleinterconnected S-shaped turns which provide a fluid flow path back andforth across the surface of the substrate 130. In this arrangement,there are thirty turns of the channel 129. The microfluidic channel isphotopatterned into the polyimide film 133 with great accuracy. FIG. 36shows one of the S-shaped turns of the channel 129.

Referring now to FIGS. 37-39, the channel 129 comprises a first channelportion 147 having a first cross-sectional area and a second channelportion 148 having a second cross-sectional area, wherein the secondcross-sectional area is greater than the first cross-sectional area. Inthis arrangement, the first channel portion 147 has a depth ofapproximately 60 μm and a width of approximately 200 μm and the secondchannel portion 148 has a depth of approximately 60 μm and a width ofapproximately 400 μm.

In this arrangement, the channel 129 comprises a third channel portion149 having a third cross-sectional area which is the same as the firstcross-sectional area.

In this arrangement, the channel 129 comprises a fourth channel portion150 having a third cross-sectional area which is less than the first andsecond cross-sectional areas. In this arrangement, the fourth channelportion 150 has a depth of approximately 60 μm and a width ofapproximately 100 μm.

In this arrangement, the first and third channel portions 147, 149 eachhave a length L1 of approximately 12.5 mm and the second channel portion148 has a length L2 of approximately 12.5 mm.

The sample is pushed from the PCR reagent chamber 111, through thechannel inlet 131 and along the channel 129 of the heating arrangement128 of the PCR arrangement. In some arrangements, the inlet velocity ofthe sample is approximately 5 mm/s.

In this arrangement, each turn of the channel 129 comprises fourdistinct 12.5 mm long sections of different widths in order to controlthe rate of flow through each section. The first section of each wind is200 μm wide. Each wind of the microfluidic channel traverses thesubstrate 130 from one side to the other and each wind passes over thethree heating elements 136-138.

The first portion 147 of the wind passes over the first heating element136 set to 95° C. The second portion 148 of the wind passes over thesecond heating element 137 set to 77° C. The third and “final” portion149 of the wind is identical but opposite to the first portion 147; itis 200 μm wide but it passes over the third heating element 138 which isset to 55° C.

The fourth portion 150 of the wind is a small 100 μm section thatconnects the third portion 149 of the wind back to the first portion 147of the next wind. The fourth portion 150 is small so that the liquidflowing through it moves quickly back to the first portion 147 of thenext wind and does not spend a significant length of time over thesecond heating element 137.

As the sample passes through the 30 heating and cooling loops, therRT-PCR reaction occurs and by the time the sample exits at the channeloutlet 132, it has completed the cycles of heating and cooling requiredfor completion of the rRT-PCR process. The sample exits the heatingarrangement 128 and flows into a detection chamber. In somearrangements, the detection chamber is a chamber of the detectionarrangement 70 of the system described herein.

The detection arrangement 70 detects fluorescence emitted from thesample and reports the result of the assay as described herein. In somearrangements, the detection arrangement is a SARS-CoV-2 virus detectionapparatus which is coupled to the channel outlet 132. The detectionapparatus detects a presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causesCOVID-19 disease in a sample fluid flowing out of the channel outlet.The detection apparatus provides an output which is indicative ofwhether or not the SARS-CoV-2 virus detection apparatus detects thepresence of the COVID-19 disease in the sample fluid. In otherarrangements, the detection apparatus detects the presence of adifferent infectious disease from COVID-19 disease.

In some arrangements, the formation of the sonication chamber (102), thereagent chamber (111), any further chambers, and the heating arrangement(128) on the same substrate (101) in combination with the controller 23provides a compact and relatively low cost device (compared with largerlaboratory PCR systems). Consequently, the device (100) of somearrangements can be mass produced easily using conventionalsemiconductor manufacturing techniques.

The device or system of some arrangements seeks to provide test resultswithin 10 minutes and, in some arrangements, as little as 5 minutes orless. This is significantly faster than conventional PCR tests and itopens up the possibility for rapid testing at homes, shops,entertainment venues, as well as airports, bus and train terminals andother transport facilities.

The device or system of some arrangements is highly portable and can becarried easily to a location where testing is required. The efficientoperation of the device or system enables the device or system of somearrangements to be powered by a battery, enabling the system to providetests at virtually any location.

The devices and systems of the arrangements that can screen a saliva orsputum sample make the screening process easier and quicker, especiallyfor children or sensitive individuals, as compared with systems thatrequire a nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swab sample.

The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that those ofordinary skill in the art may better understand various aspects of thepresent disclosure. Those of ordinary skill in the art should appreciatethat they may readily use the present disclosure as a basis fordesigning or modifying other processes and structures for carrying outthe same purposes and/or achieving the same advantages of variousembodiments introduced herein. Those of ordinary skill in the art shouldalso realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from thespirit and scope of the present disclosure, and that they may makevarious changes, substitutions, and alterations herein without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features or methodological acts, it is to be understood thatthe subject matter of the appended claims is not necessarily limited tothe specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specificfeatures and acts described above are disclosed as example forms ofimplementing at least some of the claims.

Various operations of embodiments are provided herein. The order inwhich some or all of the operations are described should not beconstrued to imply that these operations are necessarily orderdependent. Alternative ordering will be appreciated having the benefitof this description. Further, it will be understood that not alloperations are necessarily present in each embodiment provided herein.Also, it will be understood that not all operations are necessary insome embodiments.

Moreover, “exemplary” is used herein to mean serving as an example,instance, illustration, etc., and not necessarily as advantageous. Asused in this application, “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or”rather than an exclusive “or”. In addition, “a” and “an” as used in thisapplication and the appended claims are generally be construed to mean“one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to bedirected to a singular form. Also, at least one of A and B and/or thelike generally means A or B or both A and B. Furthermore, to the extentthat “includes”, “having”, “has”, “with”, or variants thereof are used,such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term“comprising”. Also, unless specified otherwise, “first,” “second,” orthe like are not intended to imply a temporal aspect, a spatial aspect,an ordering, etc. Rather, such terms are merely used as identifiers,names, etc. for features, elements, items, etc. For example, a firstelement and a second element generally correspond to element A andelement B or two different or two identical elements or the sameelement.

Also, although the disclosure has been shown and described with respectto one or more implementations, equivalent alterations and modificationswill occur to others of ordinary skill in the art based upon a readingand understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. Thedisclosure comprises all such modifications and alterations and islimited only by the scope of the following claims. In particular regardto the various functions performed by the above described features(e.g., elements, resources, etc.), the terms used to describe suchfeatures are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to anyfeatures which performs the specified function of the described features(e.g., that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurallyequivalent to the disclosed structure. In addition, while a particularfeature of the disclosure may have been disclosed with respect to onlyone of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one ormore other features of the other implementations as may be desired andadvantageous for any given or particular application.

Embodiments of the subject matter and the functional operationsdescribed herein can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, orin computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structuresdisclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or incombinations of one or more of them.

Features of some embodiments are implemented using one or more modulesof computer program instructions encoded on a computer-readable mediumfor execution by, or to control the operation of, a data processingapparatus or a controller. The computer-readable medium can be amanufactured product, such as hard drive in a computer system or anembedded system. The computer-readable medium can be acquired separatelyand later encoded with the one or more modules of computer programinstructions, such as by delivery of the one or more modules of computerprogram instructions over a wired or wireless network. Thecomputer-readable medium can be a machine-readable storage device, amachine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, or a combination ofone or more of them.

The terms “computing device” and “data processing apparatus” encompassall apparatus, devices, and machines for processing data, including byway of example a programmable processor, a computer, or multipleprocessors or computers. The apparatus can include, in addition tohardware, code that creates an execution environment for the computerprogram in question, e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, aprotocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, aruntime environment, or a combination of one or more of them. Inaddition, the apparatus can employ various different computing modelinfrastructures, such as web services, distributed computing and gridcomputing infrastructures.

The processes and logic flows described in this specification can beperformed by one or more programmable processors executing one or morecomputer programs to perform functions by operating on input data andgenerating output.

As used herein, in some embodiments the term module comprises a memoryand/or a processor configured to control at least one process of asystem or a circuit structure. The memory storing executableinstructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processorto provide an output to perform the at least one process. Embodiments ofthe memory include non-transitory computer readable media.

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory ora random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for performing instructions and one or more memory devicesfor storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will alsoinclude, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer datato, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g.,magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computerneed not have such devices. Devices suitable for storing computerprogram instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory,media and memory devices, including by way of example semiconductormemory devices, e.g., EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory),EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), and flashmemory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removabledisks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

To provide for interaction with a user, some embodiments are implementedon a computer having a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) orLCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, for displaying information to theuser and a keyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball,by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds ofdevices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; forexample, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensoryfeedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback;and input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic,speech, or tactile input.

In the present specification “comprise” means “includes or consists of”and “comprising” means “including or consisting of”.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the followingclaims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific formsor in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or amethod or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate,may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilized forrealizing the invention in diverse forms thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A COVID-19 disease screening device comprising: asubstrate which is at least partly composed of silicon, the substratecomprising a sonication chamber having a sample inlet and a sampleoutlet; an ultrasonic transducer in ultrasonic communication with thesonication chamber, wherein the ultrasonic transducer generatesultrasonic waves in a frequency range of approximately 2800 kHz toapproximately 3200 kHz to lyse cells in a sample fluid within thesonication chamber; a controller comprising: an AC driver whichgenerates an AC drive signal at a frequency within the frequency rangeof approximately 2800 kHz to approximately 3200 kHz and outputs the ACdrive signal to drive the ultrasonic transducer; an active power monitorwhich monitors active power used by the ultrasonic transducer when theultrasonic transducer is driven by the AC drive signal, wherein theactive power monitor provides a monitoring signal which is indicative ofthe active power used by the ultrasonic transducer; a processor whichcontrols the AC driver and receives the monitoring signal from theactive power monitor; and a memory storing instructions which, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the processor to: A. control the ACdriver to output the AC drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer at afrequency within the frequency range; B. calculate the active powerbeing used by the ultrasonic transducer based on the monitoring signal;C. control the AC driver to modulate the AC drive signal to maximize theactive power being used by the ultrasonic transducer; D. store a recordin the memory of the maximum active power used by the ultrasonictransducer and the sweep-frequency of the AC drive signal; E. repeatsteps A-D for a predetermined number of iterations with the ultrasonictransducer being driven at a plurality of different frequencies acrossthe frequency range of approximately 2800 kHz to approximately 3200 kHz;F. identify from the records stored in the memory an optimum frequencyfor the AC drive signal which is the frequency of the AC drive signal atwhich the maximum active power is used by the ultrasonic transducer; andG. control the AC driver to output the AC drive signal to the ultrasonictransducer at the optimum frequency, wherein the substrate furthercomprises: a reagent chamber having an inlet and an outlet, the inletbeing coupled with the sample outlet of the sonication chamber to permitat least part of the sample fluid to flow from the sonication chamber tothe reagent chamber so that the sample fluid mixes with a liquid PCRreagent in the reagent chamber, wherein the substrate further comprises:a channel defining a fluid flow path between a channel inlet and achannel outlet; and a first heating element, wherein the first heatingelement is controlled by the controller to heat the sample fluid flowingalong the channel, and wherein the channel inlet is coupled with theoutlet of the reagent chamber to receive at least part of the samplefluid from the reagent chamber, wherein the device further comprises: aSARS-CoV-2 virus detection apparatus which is in communication withcoupled to the channel outlet, wherein the detection apparatus detects apresence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 disease in thesample fluid flowing out of the channel outlet, wherein the detectionapparatus provides an output which is indicative of whether or not theSARS-CoV-2 virus detection apparatus detects the presence of theCOVID-19 disease in the sample fluid.
 2. The COVID-19 disease screeningdevice of claim 1, wherein the active power monitor comprises: a currentsensor which senses a drive current of the AC drive signal driving theultrasonic transducer, wherein the active power monitor provides themonitoring signal which is indicative of the sensed drive current. 3.The COVID-19 disease screening device of claim 1, wherein the memorystores instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause theprocessor to: repeat steps A-D with the frequency being incremented froma start frequency of 2800 kHz to an end frequency of 3200 kHz.
 4. TheCOVID-19 disease screening device of claim 1, wherein the memory storesinstructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processorto: in step G, control the AC driver to output the AC drive signal tothe ultrasonic transducer at a frequency which is shifted by between1-10% of the optimum frequency.
 5. The COVID-19 disease screening deviceof claim 1, wherein the AC driver modulates the AC drive signal by pulsewidth modulation to maximize the active power being used by theultrasonic transducer.
 6. The COVID-19 disease screening device of claim1, wherein the memory stores instructions which, when executed by theprocessor, cause the processor to: control the AC driver to alternatelyoutput the AC drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer at the optimumfrequency for a first predetermined length of time and to not output theAC drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer for a second predeterminedlength of time.
 7. The COVID-19 disease screening device of claim 6,wherein the memory stores instructions which, when executed by theprocessor, cause the processor to: alternately output the AC drivesignal and to not output the AC drive signal according to an operatingmode selected from: First Second predetermined predetermined Operatinglength of time length of time mode (seconds) (seconds) 1 4 2 2 3 2 3 2 24 1 2 5 1 1 6 2 1 7 3 1 8 4 1 9 4 3 10 3 3 11 2 3 12 1 3


8. The COVID-19 disease screening device of claim 1, wherein the devicefurther comprises: a filter which is provided between the sonicationchamber and the reagent chamber to filter the sample fluid flowing fromthe sonication chamber to the reagent chamber.
 9. The COVID-19 diseasescreening device of claim 8, wherein the filter has pores of 0.1 μm to0.5 μm in diameter.
 10. The COVID-19 disease screening device of claim1, wherein the substrate further comprises: at least one furtherchamber, the at least one further chamber being coupled for fluidcommunication with the sonication chamber.
 11. The COVID-19 diseasescreening device of claim 10, wherein the device further comprises: aplurality of valves which are controlled by the controller toselectively open and close to permit or restrict the flow of liquidsbetween each further chamber and the sonication chamber.
 12. TheCOVID-19 disease screening device of claim 10, wherein the at least onefurther chamber stores a lysing agent having a formula selected from oneof: a first lysis formula consisting of 10 mM Tris, 0.25% Igepal CA-630and 150 mM NaCl; a second lysis formula consisting of 10 mM Tris-HCl, 10mM NaCl, 10 mM EDTA and 0.5% Triton-X100; or a third lysis formulaconsisting of 0.1M LiCl, 0.1M Tris-HCl, 1% SDS or 10 mm EDTA.
 13. TheCOVID-19 disease screening device of claim 1, wherein the sonicationchamber has a volume of 100 μl to 1000 μl.
 14. The COVID-19 diseasescreening device of claim 13, wherein the channel comprises a pluralityof first channel portions and a plurality of second channel portions.15. The COVID-19 disease screening device of claim 1, wherein thesonication chamber contains a plurality of beads, each bead having adiameter of approximately 100 μm.
 16. The COVID-19 disease screeningdevice of claim 1, wherein the channel comprises a first channel portionhaving a first cross-sectional area and a second channel portion havinga second cross-sectional area, wherein the second cross-sectional areais greater than the first cross-sectional area.
 17. The COVID-19 diseasescreening device of claim 16, wherein: the first channel portion has adepth of approximately 60 μm and a width of approximately 200 μm, andthe second channel portion has a depth of approximately 60 μm and awidth of approximately 400 μm.
 18. The COVID-19 disease screening deviceof claim 16, wherein the channel comprises a third channel portionhaving a third cross-sectional area which the same as the firstcross-sectional area.
 19. The COVID-19 disease screening device of claim1, wherein the first heating element heats a first portion of thechannel and the substrate further comprises: a second heating element,the second heating element being controlled by the controller to heatthe sample fluid flowing along a second portion of the channel.
 20. TheCOVID-19 disease screening device of claim 19, wherein the substratefurther comprises: a third heating element, the third heating elementbeing controlled by the controller to heat the sample fluid flowingalong a third portion of the channel.